F612 .M5D2 ■ ««45J'!I«< 0^ ^o^^ -^^0^ °^»: -ov^ A\^ A^ .0 ^^-^^ ^;-->^«'^^^- <^_^ * o « o ' -^^ ♦ o^r^v^.^". O .°-v :,* Of. .-^' vL 1; '-''• .^-^ "*, ^-.^..^.- *^ "^^ 4q 0^ ^<^ '^ % ^^P!^ >- % ^:^ip;^ ^''^ - C\^ 31 H ALEXAN DRIA f ^ IiJL 14 !8S3 ''." PRINTING HOUSE OF MATTHEWS, N O R T II R U P k CO. Office of the " Euffalo lilornhig- £.tj^/fss." U U F r A 1. O , N . Y , COPYRIGHT, 1883, BY H. C. DAVIS, Assistant General Passenger Agent, ST. PAUL, MINNEAPOLIS & MANITOBA R'Y, ST. r.lUL. MINN. l'^ .v- MINNETONKA AND ALEXANDRIA. LAKE MINNETONKA. ALL the lovely sheets of water that gem the sur- ^i\\\ face of the great Northwestern land of lakes, Min- netonka stands without a peer and without a rival. Far and wide as its fame has flown, no charm of artist's brush or cunningly-wreathed words from author's pen has given or can give a just idea of its ^xX. manifold attractions. Seekers of health or pleasure ' \ come to its shores each year in ever-increasing num- bers, and each year old visitants as well as new are capti- vated by hitherto undiscovered charms. Minnetonka, like the bright, bewitching belle of the Northwest that she is, bewilders her admirers with her lavish beauty, yet keeps ever in reserve a wealth of attrac- tions which she reveals only to those who yield to her alluring spells, and leads them day by day into fresh infatuation. Already this is the favored summer resort of multitudes from south, east, and west. What was, but few years ago, the wild and unsubdued paradise of the few residents of Minnesota cities, and the fewer venturesome tourists from afar who had gazed upon its unsubdued and native wildness and felt the witchery of its spell is now the ob- jective point toward which thousands of our summer birds of passage turn their longing eyes with the first approach of lengthening suns ; the calm and cool retreat for worn students and weary men of business, as well as the gay court of love and fashion, bright dreams of which tlit before the waking eyes of the fluttering denizens of \"anity Fair. It is no longer a local resort, but w-ith a sudden spring into favor, and a sudden acquisition of all the appli- ances that minister to the comforts and satisfy the most fastidious longings for the elegancies of life, — a transformation worthy of the genius of Alad- 8 din's lamp, — it welcomes yearly to its parlors of fashion, its crowded ball- rooms, its graceful and homelike cottages, its embowered walks and drives through sylvan retreats, its dreamy and delicious sails through falling twilight or along the quivering path of silvery light where only the moonbeams are the dancers, and its leafy solitudes where one may lose himself in defiance of the world and all his kind, — the thousands who have heard of it from afar, and been drawn thither by its magnetic spell. Its charms can need no other laudation; they are their own interpreters. And the day when it shall be known and sought by the pilgrims of fashion and of recreation from every corner of every State as the Saratoga of the new Northwest, can scarcely be said to be rapidly dawning — for it is already here. In no part of the immense lacustrine region of the Northwestern country are the lakes so attractive as within what is known in histories and descrip- tions of Minnesota as the Big Woods. A great belt of hardwood timber sweeps across the State, and it is in its deep recesses that the loveliest of Minnesota's lakes are snugly hidden away. There are here no dull and monotonous reaches of level prairie, but noble trees come down to the water's edge the while they bend above it lovingly, the banks rise steep and sheer, the numerous islets are drops of emerald in a sea of glass, and Nature brings forth in profusion her richest and most varied charms. Ensconced in the midst of such a region lies Minnetonka, the queen and peerless beauty of them all ! Although it is situated upon the main line of the St. Paul, Minne- apolis & Manitoba Railroad, but twenty-five miles northwest of St. Paul and fifteen from Minneapolis, being by its proximity to these cities rather a suburb than a summer resort, and accessible by trains at any hour of the day, yet so bountifully has Nature dealt with it, that it can never lose its primeval fresh- ness. Quiet recesses along the indentations, which are its most remarkable feature, will ever preserve their characteristic wildness, and beyond what may be desirable in the way of beautification and adornment, the hand of man can never undo what the hand of Nature with such unerring skill has wrought. Hotels may be multiplied until the flag of some great caravansery shall be descried from every knoll ; parks may be laid out and embellished until they transform the surrounding country into veritable fairyland ; boulevards may encircle the lake with great sweeps of many a mile ; but still the charm will be that of natural beauty, and tired men and women will turn away from the artificiality with which they have become sated, to find here a vision and a breath of the divine that hovers over forest, wave, and shore. Had the two great cities of tlic Noith- west, tlie centres of popu- lation for a future empire, been located with a view to providing for the hun- dreds of thousands they will one day contain a charming and convenient retreat, instead of remain- ing for many years almost ignorant of its existence, they could scarcely have LAKE MINNETONKA. [From " A Kecoimaissance ol the Golden Nortliwest."J 10 been more favored. Had the settlement of this country but served the purpose of unveiling to the many other hundreds of thousands who long for a season of happy restfulness this one resort, it would have seemed worth the while. Here, not so many years ago, was the home and favorite hunting ground of Sioux and Chippewa, and the middle of the lake was the boundary line between the two nations. With the keen eye for scenic beauty which marked the aborigines, they knew and loved it well, and named it Mde-a-tonka — the Big Lake. The present appellation, differing from this but little in either sound or meaning, Minnetonka — the Big Water — was given to it by Alexander Ramsey, the first Governor of Minnesota. The chief sources of the wonderment which fills him who for the first time visits and explores this lake are its size and its marvelous length of shore-line. Although by the most direct line that can be taken it is but fifteen miles from one extremity to the other, there are one hundred and four miles of coast line, so indented and broken up by myriads of tiny bays and enticing coves is the contour of the line where land and water meet. The surface of the shores vies with its edge in picturesque irregularities. Now .shooting up into stately headlands, now jutting boldly out in commanding promontories, now stretch- ing back in an inviting expanse of gently-sloping acclivities, and now rising into mounds that might well be the handiwork of some forgotten race, it does its part in creating the loveliness that is not likely to be forgotten by one whom summer idleness has lured to Minnetonka. Counting only the more important depressions which invade the shore line, twenty-five bays break up the con- tinuity of the lake, turning it into a chain of lakelets, like the series of connecting chambers in the Arabian tale, where the riches of one could scarcely stimulate the imagination of the beholder to conceive of the magnifi- cence of the next. Many who have lingered long with unsated delight upon both scenes have found a strong resemblance between sailing upon Minne- tonka and upon the upper Hudson. The field of vision is bounded just ahead by some low point, waving foliaged arms of welcome, and it seems as if when that was reached the voyage would be ended. But following the inward and nearer shore, suddenly there comes a turn, a shooting outward into a new and broader expanse of water, a revelation of beauty which is different yet the same, and thus ever for hours the unending chase is renewed. The area of the entire water surface is twenty-three miles ; yet it has been found by a curious calculation that if these twenty-three square miles were formed into a circle the circumference would be seventeen miles ; while if the wrinkles were — '■ I — -H h- ■ — i I— - —I I — —I I— - -I H- H I— - -H I—- 1 I — -i I — --Im U H H D p3 PL E-j ^ h- D ^ a 12 smoothed from the one hundred miles of shore line, and this also bent into the circumference of a circle, the area enclosed would be no less than 796 square miles. On account of this remarkable irregularity alone, taken in connection with the scenic grandeur of the shore views. Lake Minnetonka has been characterized without exaggeration as one of the most wonderful bodies of water in the world. In some places the land's edge rises abruptly from the crystal depths ; but for the most part it slopes gradually to the cool welcome of the waiting waves, now with a pebble-sprinkled beach, and now with a shining border of beautiful hard white sand. There are innumerable seques- tered nooks where the most delightful and invigorating of baths that Nature has to offer await the eager explorer of the transparent depths. One may spend weeks in sailing over these retiring bays, and on every expedition dis- cover something new and charming. Sick and well, merry and sad, quiet and gay, can find places suited to their tastes in the great hotels which line the shore, or in retired glades, where one can lie lazily in his hammock or stretch at full length upon the turf, and gazing upward or outward through interlacing branches of grand old forest trees, forget the cares of the present in such a blissful rest as it is worth a lifetime of labor to earn and to enjoy. The first view of the lake on leaving the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba coaches discloses only the bays which lie at the extreme eastern end, and the only indication of its really vast extent is afforded by the fleet of magnificent steamers waiting in readiness to convey travelers to any of the numerous stopping places around its shores.. The boats which ply the lake are splendid side-wheelers, the largest capable of carrying 2,000 passengers with ease, and as finely finished and fitted as any craft that can be found upon an inland lake. Extensive open promenade decks, luxuriously furnished cabins, and every facility for comforting the inner man have been provided, and the lazily dis- posed can make and repeat the tour of the lake, seeing the prominent features of interest and penetrating all but the most retired and inaccessible spots, with all the comfort and convenience that are at his command in a journey from Albany to New-York. From Wayzata, the station first reached, if one chooses to leave the train here, he can be transported to any point on the lake, and already feel the inspiration of freedom as he inhales the glorious breeze fresh from the hills and waters, and enjoys the delicious gliding motion with which he speeds from shore to shore. Passing out of Wayzata Bay into the larger bay to the west, the beauty of the scenery upon which he has entered first becomes fully apparent. Point Wakon is seen running out boldly into 13 the lake, and the old settler or the searcher into the curiosities of Indian tradition could tell many a weird tale of the strange scenes that it has wit- nessed and the stirring events with which it is connected in the legends of a race who once found here delight as deep, perhaps, though different in nature, as that of the careless throngs who have appropriated it for their own. Spirit Island and Point Lookout are passed, Big Island, a favorite camping ground comes in full view, and after a voyage across this lovely bay. Excelsior, lying on a hilly peninsula between two bays, is reached. This is the southwestern extremity of the lake, and here is a village naturally adapted for a summer resort and determined to make the most of its advantages. There are excel- lent accommodations for guests, and the various places which are the seats of summer colonies vie with each other in the multiplicity of their attractions. West of Excelsior lies the region known as Minnetonka Lake Park, and in almost every direction the green of the fresh sward is doited with the white tents of campers who prefer to isolate themselves as far as possible from the congregation of humanity which they are endeavoring to escape, and who spend delightful months free from the restraint of social observances, ready for pleasure in whatever form it may present itself. Scattered around in every direction are dozens of smaller lakes, many of them most picturesque in location and surroundings, and offering to the sportsman a field which has been too little invaded to frighten away the quarry which he wishes to secure. To one casting a quick glance about him, all this portion of the lake seems to be occupied ; yet those who have followed the deceptive curves of its sinuous outline know how many spots there are where solitude is still supreme, how quickly one may pass with scarcely more than a few oar-beats from plain sight and sound of the joyous throngs on either shore to the quiet and seclu- sion of some retiring inlet, hidden from all the world by the verdant gates that shut him in. This part of Minnetonka is what is commonly known as the Lower Lake ; for wonderfully diversified as it is and cut up into a score of broad bays, yet its expanse is susceptible of being considered as lying in two broad divisions, the upper and the lower lake, connected with each other once only by a shal- low strait, scarcely wider than a steamer's deck, but now accommodated to the unobstructed passage of the largest boats that swim upon these waters. Irregular as are the other parts of the lake, the irregularity is all a part of a single outline ; bay opens into bay, and none are difficult of access. The same is true in general of the character of the upper lake ; while between these two there is but the single straiglu and narrow way. It is not the least of the delights of Minnetonka that after the stranger thinks he has carried exploration to its farthest limit and that no new worlds to conquer lie beyond, he has but to thread the connecting passageway, and be- hold ! another vista of equal beauty opens before him, and the pleasures of the past return with all their entrancing memories. Formerly the " Nar- rows" were narrow indeed, and the steamboats of an earlier day were pushed through by main force, 1 "Ta- half floating, half digging out their own right of way ; while the curious passenger standing on the bow might watch enormous pickerel, three and four feet long, darting ahead through the shoal water, as if to either pilot this strange rival of theirs to unknown seas 15 as a friend, or to give timely warning of its approach as an enemy. Now the Narrows have been enlarged so that there is sufficient depth to admit the largest steamer, and the upper lake no longer selfishly keeps its attractions to itself. In fact it may be said that here is now the centre of interest as well as the centre of gravity about which these two noble sheets of water are balanced. For the St. Paul, Minneapolis »S: '^■. Manitoba Railroad, looking upon the field with the eye of an old campaigner, discov- ered here the strategic point of the situa- tion, which would enable it to command the ground. And here, at the Narrows, to which point its trains run • directly from Wayzata, it has erected a magnificent hotel structure, which is as incomparably the finest summer hostelry in the i6 Northwest as Minnetonka is the most desirable resort. Phenomenal in the scale upon which its plan was conceived and executed, it is yet more of a marvel in the success that it has achieved by satisfying the public fancy and commending itself to the public approval. Originally designed and con- structed of such dimensions as to astonish even the most sanguine believers in the popularity of Minnetonka as a summer resort, and as only the sagacious foresight of its builders could have justified, so great has been its success that additional accommodation has been found necessary, and the present season finds the palace of the last increased in its enormous proportions by more than one-half. The Hotel Lafayette, the equal in every respect of the most pretentious that the watering-places of the world can boast, is indeed only another of the revelations of this new wonderland. As first completed it was 700 feet in length and more than 100 feet wide, exhibiting a graceful and pleas- ing combination of architectural styles, with the Queen Anne predominating. The exterior is broken and adorned by circling oriel and heavy bay windows, by broad and spacious balconies, by gables and other architectural adorn- ments, at once relieving its vast expanse and charming the eye of the beholder. From the foundation to the top of the highest gable the elevation is ninety feet, while around the whole of the edifice runs a piazza from twenty to forty feet in width with overhanging roofs, affording a sheltered promenade from which the view ranges unobstructed over the manifold beauties of both upper and lower lakes. The palatial building occupies the highest point of land in the lake's circumference, and is a veritable castle on the heights ; though it can boast of both wonders and comforts the meanest of which would have been esteemed a miracle in the lordliest castle of the Mediaeval Age. Every detail of the structure and its surroundings has been finished in as great perfection as modern science and art can suggest, without consideration of the item of expense. The imposing offices and grand stairways, spacious vestibules and princely drawing-rooms, elegantly appointed parlors and dining- hall, where hundreds can satisfy the appetite which only Minnesota air can sharpen, suites of apartments with their private balconies making possible at the same time the enjoyment of being part of the gay and busy throng which is essential to life at a summer resort, and the seclusion which is the prero- gative of home, with hundreds of other details where every conceivable wish or taste of the visitor has been delicately foreseen and studiously provided for, combine to render this hotel unparalleled among the proudest even in this land where the building and conducting of hotels may be said to have 17 |fe- *A. ■ ''# - -^-^^ HOTEL ALEXANDRI\, GENEVA BEACH $ft4' been raised to the dignity of a tine art, and lea\ e it without a peer among the most famous resorts of the watering- places of the world. Health, comfort and enjoyment have been provided for with equally studious care. Ventilation is perfect, swiftly-gliding eleva- tors conv'ey their passengeis from floor to floor as if each were the magic rug of Eastern fable, hard-wood finish and a wealth of minor adornments leave no spot upon which the eye may not linger with a restful delight, steam from the great boilers takes away insensibly the chill of morn and evening, electricity turns night into day, and the casual traveler, poor though he may be, has at his command for the period of his stay all that the wealth of millionaires can purchase. The superintendence of Mr. Eugene Mehl, long connected with the well known Brevoort House of New- York City, insures the satisfaction of every gastronomic want, and has given i8 the table of the Hotel Lafayette a desirable renown among all who have ever tasted its delights. No sounding encomiums could speak half as loudly the praises of its perfect accommodations as the simple fact that the increase of the multitudes who seek its shelter has already forced an extension of the accommodations that would have been thought in the beginning amply sufficient for the throngs that yearly renew their fealty to beautiful Minnetonka. It has been found necessary to make an addition 400 feet long, a mammoth building in itself, were not its proportions dwarfed by forming only a part of a more stupendous whole, and to increase all other accommodations in a corresponding ratio. Not less than $100,000 will be spent this season upon landscape gardening, in improving and adding to the ornamentation of the lovely peninsula which overlooks the lakes. In few other of the most renowned resorts can there be discovered such enticing shady groves, winding walks and drives, and sheltered nooks as here invite the tired eye to rest and the tired brain to dream away in blissful oblivion the too brief hours of a summer's holiday. Boating and bathing-houses are conveniently located, and a spacious wharf extends to where the great lake steamers daily dis- charge the population of a moderate-sized city. The liberality of the proprie- tors, who never stop to count the cost where public convenience is concerned, can scarce keep pace with the wonderful growth of the Lafayette in public favor ; and the visitor who one year thinks that he has sojourned for a little time in an elysium, will find the next that a thousand enjoyments before undreamed of are subject to his will. Sitting proudly on her commanding eminence, the queen of summer palaces looks far and wide across the queen of lakes and extends her welcome to a weary world. Beyond the Narrows the line of the railroads extends to a considerable distance, sweeping through a beautiful country around the north shore of the lake, while upon the steamers one may visit the many scenes which the upper lake has in store for the unsated tourist. Passing through the Narrows, another succession of bays, changing from one to the other and blending with the charm if not the swiftness of a kaleidoscopic vision, lies spread out in panoramic beauty. The high banks are for the most part clothed with their primeval green, though here and there may be seen the cottages of those who have chosen to dip a little deeper into woodland's depths and taste the savor of its wildness. On the right appears Spring Park, a station on the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba road, where new villas are each year appearing embosomed in the depths of noble forests. Innumerable points bathe their 19 feet in the cool limpid waters, and to them the loving fancy of their summer frequenters has given the names of some of those enchanted spots which writers and idealists have attached to the bright creations of their imagina- tions, here perhaps more nearly realized than elsewhere outside of happy Arcadia. The very nomenclature of the upper lake tells its own tale of desire gratified, and the land of hope and wonder brought within the reach of mortal man. And not the least charmine feature of the varied land- jK scape IS the multiplicity of islands \\hi(.h here gi\e new \ariety and something of wildness to the scene. Wild Goose, Spray, and Shady Islands lie near to- gether, each a little paradise between the wave and sky. " Enchanted Island " well deserves the name which it bears, while 20 Phelps Island alone contains over 300 acres, and lying thus in th^ midst of scenery without a blemish upon its loveliness makes a little kingdom which a monarch might rejoice to call his own. Past Crane Island, the home of strange and uncouth aerial and aquatic residents, the explorer takes his way, while the boat's whistle scares from their retreat, the feathered proprietors, which wheel away with many a wild and eerie cry. Thence Cook's Bay and Halsted's Bay, the extreme western estuaries, stretch away, and the voyage up the lake is ended, although the return shows undiscovered countries yet on either hand, and dozen of similar voyages fail to exhaust the resources of the flood and shore. No two trips on Minnetonka ever seem the same, and the mere record of the enchanted spots that transfix the observer in silent wonder at their loveliness, or wile him to remain with them in oblivion of all the world besides, would fill a volume. It would be difficult to mention another place in this country which unites in itself so many attractions and of so many different kinds as Lake Minne- tonka. If its scenic beauties have been dwelt upon with most ardor, it is only because these are so pre-eminently distinguished, so different not only in degree but in kind from those of the average resort, that they deserve the first place in any description. Were the lake dropped down in the inaccessi- ble wilds of some foreign region, or surrounded by the miasmatic lowlands of a district as hostile to health as the Roman campagna, it would still be the goal of many a pilgrimage. But instead of this it lies in the centre of Nature's sanitarium, the highlands of Minnesota, to breathe the air of which is for the invalid and the despairing one to take new courage and live. Over it hangs an atmosphere dry, cool, and invigorating, one in which no taint of malaria or trace of disease germ can exist. About it is spread a virgin country, its native wildness banished or subdued, but its native charms surviving in their pristine strength. Here the joyous healthful freedom of Nature and the comforts and pleasures of the highest civilization meet upon common ground, with nothing to detract from either. Here are the means for satisfying an infinite diversity of tastes. The devotee of pleasure will find a ceaseless round of social excitements, and a concourse of those who during the winter months grace the ball-rooms and fetes of the great metropolis. People of the highest culture spend here their hours of respite from mental activity. The overworked multitude resort hither to forget the tension of daily endea- vor in a well-earned relaxation. He who wishes solitude can find it either in that most solitary of all places, the centre of a great throng, or can plunge 21 into the hidden fastnesses that gird these hundred miles of shore line with their cincture of imperishable green. The sportsman may make his daily excursions to isolated pools or to the neighboring sequestered lakes, and return with precious booty of wild fowl ; or he may tempt the denizens of the deep, and enjoy such sport day after day as only those who have fished in well-stocked waters can understand. All varieties of bass, pickerel and pike are greedy for the bait, and a string of a hun- dred pounds is a splendid but by no means unusual trophy. Bathing takes on a new charm m these cool, pure waters, and Icng reaches of firm white sand furnish the ideal beach. The dance, the delightful siesta under spreading branches, and lulled by the gentle murmur of the waters, the hunt, the fishing excur- LAKE CARLOS. 22 sion, the pleasant ramble through sylvan bowers and shady dells, the long drive over hill and dale with glimpses of bright waters appearing and disappearing through the foliage, the refreshing plunge, the sail, now through the long idle- ness of twilight hours with but a ripple gurgling at the bow, now with the stirring excitement of " a wet sheet and a flowing sail, a wind that follows fast," and, at the end of all, the return to a bountiful table and luxurious quarters such as a prince might envy, — nowhere are all the delights of the city and the wilderness, of savagery and civilization, to be found in such overflowing measure and such harmonious combination as on the shores of the magic water of the northland. The ocean is grander and more awe-inspiring, but here there is no monotony, but an ever-changing series of pictures, with Nature herself as the scene-shifter. The odor of the briny breeze is not more bracing than the unbreathed and untainted air which comes fresh from a thousand miles of prairie, forest and lake. Sunset at the seaside is a favorite theme of the poet and the painter ; but never do the heavens more gorgeously array themselves, never do they bring forth brighter dyes or exhibit more exquisite delicacy of coloring, never is there a scene which might better cause the artist to throw down his brush in despair and forswear his calling because he cannot hope to catch and fix its evanescent glory, than when the evening falls upon a Minnesota landscape. There is some peculiar quality in this dry, refined atmosphere which lends a rarer beauty to the western horizon, and suffuses the skies with a rosy glow as precious and fleeting as love's first blush. Some- thing it may be akin to that which brings out only in these northern regions the resplendent glory of the auroral lights, touches earth and sky at the hour when the day is dying, and makes a Minnesota sunset a thing of beauty which lingers upon the canvass of memory forever. Search the world over and nowhere else will Nature be found so unreluctantly to lay aside her concealing robes and appear in all her dazzling and unadorned loveliness, as pure and modest as the maiden, as tender and radiant as the bride, as when she is sought upon the shores of beauteous Minnetonka. Doubtless in years to come hundreds of resorts, each claiming its band of stout and leal adherents, will be established in this land of lakes. There are places innumerable that are worthy of such honor. But whatever Nature may have done, or the art of man may yet have to do for them, they must pale their ineffectual fires before that one who sways her sceptre over all. Wild and secluded as if located in the midst of the forest primeval, yet but a few minutes distant from the hum of great cities, and but a few hours removed from the centres of the Nation's 24 life ; fair as a vision of the imagination, yet open to all the busy people of the work-a-day world ; picturesque as a poetic creation in every detail of environ- ment, yet replete with all the appliances demanded by prosaic comfort ; promising much, yet freely giving more than the boldest and most exacting would dare to claim in fulfillment of promise ; bewildering with a wealth of delights too deep and delicate for surfeit ; Lake Minnetonka is the one resort upon the continent where all perfections seem to meet. He who has not spent one summer there has missed a golden thread from the strand of life. For the weary and the restless everywhere they are offered solace, fresh inspiration, and a new lease of happiness in a visit to this haven of content- ment and paradise of pleasure in the heart of picturesque America. For the special accommodation of visitors at Lake Minnetonka a coupon ticket office will be opened at Minnetonka Beach, where tickets will be issued and baggage checked to all principal points in America. Special excursion rates will be made for parties desiring to visit the fishing and hunting resorts of the Park Region, 35 WESTWARD FROM MINNETONKA. Leaving the aquatic twins, Lakes Minnetonka, on the edge of the splen- did Park Region, the seeker after summer pleasures proceeds directly west into the heart of this, the most beautiful section of the bright Northwest. Here are lakes on every side — little crystal gems with bands of golden beaches, set in emerald forests, or large, irregular sheets of translucent water surrounded by every variety of attractive landscape. All are beautiful — all attractive, — but a few have been chosen for their peculiar beauties, and are much sought by tourists, sportsmen and invalids during the heated term. I.AKK I.'HOMME DIEU. 26 HOTEL ALEXANDRIA -GENEVA BEACH. Near the City of Alexandria, Douglas County. This charming place is 142 miles from St. Paul in the very heart of the Park Region, and is located in the midst of a group of the finest lakes in Minnesota. It has now a population of at least 2,000, and, in the character of its inhabitants and its religious and social organizations, it greatly resembles the best of old New- England towns. There are seven churches including all denominations, a perfected graded system of schools, with three school-houses, one of which is very handsome, of white brick, and cost $25,000. A boon for visitors is found in its excellent library association and public library, while those musi- cally inclined will find congenial spirits among the members of a prosperous musical society. The many charitable, literary and social societies testify to the high degree of refinement and culture existing. Lakes Agnes and Winona almost encircle Alexandria, and both are pretty sheets of water. About three miles east of the city is a fine chain of four lakes — Geneva, Victoria, L'Homme Dieu, and Carlos. Straits connect this beautiful lacustral family, and make possible a steamer voyage of over forty miles' length amid the most glorious scenery of the Northwest. Of this chain of lakes, Geneva has been selected as the location for a splendid hotel, whose only equal in the country will be found in great Hotel Lafayette. " Hotel Alexandria" is situated at what is known as "Genev-a Beach," and the location merits the appellation. Backed by a thick forest, the splendid structure faces a beach which sweeps around the water line in graceful curves. Through the cool depths of the forest are the most entrancing of rambles, and feathered songsters flutter among the thick branches. Game is found in profusion in this great forest, and, be the sun as fiery as at the tropics, a delightfully refreshing coolness is discovered, and the hot mid-day hours are passed in blissful comfort. From the front of the hotel the views are truly entrancing. Away on all sides stretch the splendidly-varied shores of the lovely lake, knolls, promontories, lawn-like openings and gleaming beaches, mingling in the bright landscape to afford delight to the eye of the beholder. At evening, the sunset settling upon the scene, gives a magical transforma- tion before which the vaunted splendors of Italian skies must fade. Such in brief is the charming "Geneva Beach," a resort which will quickly become the peer of any of the many in the wonderful Northland — the land of sunny skies, of bright pure air, and lovely landscape. 2; "HOTEL KITTSON "-ASHBY PARK. Six hours ride from Minneapolis, on the Fergus Falls division of the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway, brings the traveler to the charmingly pastoral village of Ashby, at which point the railway passes SCENE IN PARK REGION. between the fine large lakes, Christina and Lower Pelican, both of which abound in natural beauties. Surrounded by forests filled with feathered game, the lakes lie perfect aquariums in which sport the best of game fish. At just a convenient distance from the water is "Ashby Park," which is sit- uated on a high commanding site, and is beautifully laid out. Located in the centre of this park is a handsome summer house, called Hotel Kittson. 28 It is not large, but it contains every modern convenience, and is superbly- furnished and fitted throughout, and is one of the most delightful abodes in the whole region. It was erected late last year, but this season will be in the most attractive shape, and the visitors, so fortunate to find a home in this tarrying place, will find their most exacting wants supplied. MCFARLAND HOUSE -TEN-MILE LAKE. Here is another of the fine lakes of the Park Region which has been selected as a summer resort in this attractive section. The tourist will stop at Dalton station, which is 176 miles from St. Paul. Ten-I\Iile Lake really consists of two bodies of water connected by a pretty navigable creek. The resort is located four miles from the station, the forest road to it being one of the most beautiful imaginable. For some years the place has been famous among some of the most skillful hunters and anglers of the Northwest, as afifording more sport than any other locality, and for a long time the secret was kept inviolate among the favored few. Last year Col. O. McFarland, formerly of Park Place Hotel, St. Paul, one of the best landlords in the Northwest, erected an elegant hotel, and the guest that finds shelter under the hospitable roof of the McFarland House may be consid- ered fortunate. The table is kept well supplied with the game and fish so plentiful in the vicinity, and the attractions in the way of summer sports are nowhere excelled, if equalled. It is truly a charming place, and those who enjoy quiet country life, deep in the forest, will be delighted with the spot. 30 "FAIRVIEW LODGE"- OS AKIS. At a distance of 131 miles from St. Paul is located the town of Osakis on the borders of a charming lake of the same name — the subject of one of our most exquisite illustrations. The lake is about thirteen miles long, nearly circular, and has over fifty miles of beautifully diversified shore broken by bays, capes, and elevated points. There are many historical places around the lake, which was once the favorite abode of Sioux and Chippewa Indians. One especially interesting place is knov^ai as "Battle Point," which was the scene of a sanguinary contest between the tribes. At this place the company has one of the best eating-houses on the line, and within easy walking distance from the station is a little village including a quite spacious hotel and a series of pretty cottages, which comprise " Fairview Lodge." The location occupied by the "Lodge" is too delightful to be described. It is situated about twenty feet above the rippling beach in the midst of tall overhanging trees, affording the coolest shade. Ele- gantly laid out, and admirably conducted by an experienced landlord, it is one of the prime attractions of the enchanted region. '■\y.* For Information , Time-tables, Rates, etc., to all Summer Resorts reached by the St. Paid, Minneapolis & Manitoba Raihvay, apply to H. C DAVIS, AssI Gen I Passr Agent, ST. 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